enforce the transfer of the enterprises in a large-scale action which he intended to
carry out in three days. The necessary preparations had been taken by my
predecessor, who also had given the order to start the large-scale action. I myself
arrived in Warsaw on 17 April 1943 and took over the command of the action on 19
April 1943, 0800 hours, the action itself having started the same day at 0600 hours.

Before the large-scale action began, the limits of the former Ghetto had been blocked
by an external barricade in order to prevent the Jews from breaking out. This
barricade was maintained from the start to the end of the action and was especially
reinforced at night.

When we invaded the Ghetto for the first time, the Jews and the Polish bandits
succeeded in repelling the participating units, including tanks and armored cars, by a
well-prepared concentration of fire. When I ordered a second attack, about 0800
hours, I distributed the units, separated from each other by indicated lines, and
charged them with combing out the whole of the Ghetto, each unit for a certain part.
Although firing commenced again, we now succeeded in combing out the blocks
according to plan. The enemy was forced to retire from the roof, and elevated bases to the
basements, dug-outs, and sewers. In order to prevent their escaping into the sewers,
the sewerage system was dammed up below the Ghetto and filled with water but the
Jews frustrated this plan to a great extent by blowing up the turning off valves. Late the
first day we encountered rather heavy resistance, but it was quickly broken by a
special raiding party. In the course of further operations we succeeded in expelling the
Jews from their prepared resistance bases, sniper holes, and the like, and in occupying
during the 20 and 21 April the greater part of the so-called remainder of the Ghetto to
such a degree that the resistance continued within these blocks could no longer be
called considerable.